A Better Man
by TimeTravellingThestral
Summary: It's the end of the universe. Well not our universe, but the one John Smith is condemned to. He welcomes death with open arms, but why isn't he dying yet? And why is the Master here?


**Author's Note: Hello, i'm alive! Well i haven't posted anything in ages and then i found this abandoned story on my computer and i added to sentences to the end and then decided i should post it. So i did.  
>There are spoilers for Journeys End, Remembrance Of The Daleks, Last Of The Time Lords and Amy's Choice. It is set in Pete's World just after Amy's Choice.<strong>

1. The Darkness and the Never Ending Cold

It had been years now. Years of nothing but living on the streets, with nothing to accompany him but the stench of his own human body. He sat on a hill just looking up at the stars. He used to know the name of every one of them, but not anymore. That's because he is not the Doctor; he is John Smith. The pathetic, homeless, human, without any humanity.

The day Rose kicked him out had been the last time he smiled. He wanted to leave her anyway.

_"I can't be with you anymore, John!" _she said. _"You're not the Doctor, and I don't even want to be with the man that left me stranded on a beach with nothing but some stupid man who thinks he owns me!"_

He just smiled at her, turned around and walked right out the door. Rose was probably dead by now. Ever since that Dalek invasion the human race has been dwindling. Right now there were a bunch of Daleks not far from him. One of them spotted him with its eye stork. "Exterminate!" it called with its robotic voice that John could not get enough of.

He wanted to die. And it would be great if _his _oldest enemies brought that death to him. "Are you the murderous plumber?" he asked mockingly.

"What is a plumber?" the Dalek asked.

"It's an Earth occupation. They have plungers like you lot."

"Exterminate!" The Dalek's gun was going to spit out a lazer beam any second now. And that long waited death would finally arrive.

John stood up and faced the Dalek and prepared himself for death. The Dalek suddenly burst into flames with the Master standing behind it.

"Master?" John asked. There was nothing Time Lord on this planet anymore, how could he be alive? But then again what would John know? He doesn't have Time Lord senses.

The Master looked at John with confusion. He inhaled the air as if he was trying to smell something. "What are you?" he asked in a rather compassionate tone than his usual one.

John was half Time Lord so he could do minor telepathic communication but not for very long. But the Master still realised who he was. "Theta?" he asked.

"Yes Koschei, it's me!" John said happily. _His _childhood friend is back, in the middle of this mess, finally John started to feel cheerful again.

"But how? Your dead! Back on Gallifrey you died! You went insane when the drums entered your head, and it killed you!" the Master said very sadly.

John realised that this Master must belong to this universe and therefore he is different. This universe's Doctor must have got the drums instead of the Master, and he mustn't have been able to cope and died. And maybe that means that the Master never went insane, and he's the last Time Lord left in this universe.

"I'm not from this world," John said the all too well rehearsed lines. He used to run around the streets like a madman shouting it out.

"What?" the Master asked like he was trying to make sense out of nonsense.

"Theta Sigma from my world never died," John started to explain.

The Master ran up to John. He hadn't been near another _Time Lord _for years. "Show me," he said without the 'obey me' he was usually so fond of.

John put his head up to the Master's and closed his eyes. He took him through the life of the Doctor, and what happened to the Master in his reality. Then he showed him why he exists, and how the Doctor condemned him to this hell.

The Master pulled back in shock. "I was a monster," he said out of breath. "And you're a clone of your universes Doctor?"

"Yes," John said simply.

The world was falling apart around them, and there was nothing anyone could do, not even the Master. His TARDIS was dying and he was also stranded on Earth. This invasion was so much worse than the other universe's Dalek attack. And they knew the end was coming.

John and the Master moved away from all the shooting and Daleks. They walked down the hill and sat down. They lied against the grass and looked up at the stars like they used to when they were kids. This worlds Master lost the Doctor when he was ten years old, so he only had two years with him, but after watching John's memories, he only wanted to stay with him.

They lied there for hours, while the world was ending and none of them cared less.

The Doctor who was nothing but a dying human, with the Master who was nothing but a dying Time Lord, died that day.

But they didn't care, as long as they got to spend their last breaths together they would be happy.

2. The Stench of Humanity

John Smith awoke with darkness surrounding him. The only light was coming from the fire of the burning human bodies. John does question quite often why the Doctor loves humans so much. But really they are worse than the Daleks; they're always killing each other.

In Gallifrey life was spoken of, with dignity and respect, because it is the only thing we have, and we must treasure it. Humans don't even have half the lifespan of the original Gallifreyans so why were they constantly killing each other?

Everything confuses John these days. Some days he doesn't even remember who he is, other times he runs around questioning why the grass is green and why the sky is blue. But right now he is questioning why he is lying in the middle of a big field with the Master who is meant to be dead, right next to him.

The memories of yesterday suddenly came rushing back. John never felt so happy in his short life. He was with a Time Lord instead of these pathetic apes. Dark thoughts starting to claw their way into Johns mind. Maybe the Master has some kind of teleport and he can steal it and leave this doomed rock. But no, why would he leave the only Time Lord left in existence alone here to endure the torture John had faced.

The Master's eyes began to open as he stood up slowly. He looked around at all the fire and burning bodies. The Dalek ships had finally left Earth. They had won the war and would now go and raid some other helpless planet. The Master did want to stop the Daleks, but he was powerless now. Most of the planets in this universe had been destroyed by the Daleks already, so what does it really matter if he just gives up.

He looked over at John who was lying on the Earth ground. The stupid dried up yellow grass was surrounding them and the horrible grey sky was looking down at them with a smug expression on its nonexistent face. The Earth was probably glad to get rid of these idiotic monkeys. Sure, the Master used to care about all of these _amazing, brilliant _creatures in the universe, but now he has just lost hope. He wonders what the Doctor from John's world would do if he were stuck here. He would probably be hopeless too, or maybe he would save this reality. The Master guessed it would be the second one. From what he saw of the Doctor in John's mind, he would be able to do anything. This made the Master jealous.

"This it then?" John asked no one in particular. "Is this the end of everything?"

The Master looked over at his newly found friend. "Yeah."

John said he wanted to die before but when he seriously thought about it, he wouldn't really. He is a Time Lord, a lord of everything and a master of every reality, so why should he have to die just because the Doctor dumped him here. Well he's a half Time Lord, but same difference.

John let the dark thoughts enter his mind again. The Master may have a completely different personality in this universe, but he is still capable of becoming what he once was in John's world. John smiled wickedly at the thought.

If he could get inside the Master's head while his defences were down then he might just be able to unleash that other Master. He might be able to make him hate the Doctor so much and then they find away to get to the other universe and kill him. Success!

3. Fashioning People into Weapons

The Master and John stood together on the hill of grass with a teleportation devise in their hands. After John and rummaged through the Master's head they built the teleport from old Dalek scraps. They squeezed it and the button went down. They appeared on a planet covered in ash known as The Grey Land of the Seventh System, also known as the remains of Gallifrey. Due to the Doctor not existing for very long in this reality, the Time War did end but not because of him. Well it wouldn't really be called ending, a more fitting word would be postponed.

Another renegade known as the Rani (she was the most well known scientists on Gallifrey) built a Time Lock. It would lock the Daleks inside while Gallifrey lives on forever, but it didn't go to plan. Just before the lock was perfected the Daleks activated their deadly weapon known as The Hand Of Omega. It previously belonged to the Time Lords but Daleks had stolen it. The twin suns of Gallifrey were collapsing due to the Hand Of Omega. The suns burnt the planet and all life on the once great world died. Slowly the Daleks started to escape the Time Lock, and that's what brought them to Earth.

Gallifrey was just a big ball of ash now. The Master didn't blame the Rani for what happened, it was the Daleks fault, and after he found out what the Doctor did to their planet in John's world, he was absolutely appalled. Who would burn their own planet deliberately?

The Master had fought in the war for as long as it went on, but just before the suns burnt Gallifrey he had left to go back to travelling the universe. He felt every Time Lord die, but at least it wasn't his fault, unlike that dreaded Doctor.

John and the Master stood in front of the Untempered Schism. Although Gallifrey burnt some other things do have the ability to stand heat. The Master and John stood there staring into it, ready to jump, with a look of vengeance in their eyes.

They leaped into the gap in reality and fell through the vortex. Being lords of time they could stand being in the vortex without a time capsule for a few seconds, so that gave them enough time to fall through an opening into the other universe. Once in the parallel vortex the Master and John gripped the teleporter and ended up on planet Earth.

John looked up at the zeppelin-less sky with glee. Oh he was very glad to be home again. But he had to remember that this planet is not his home, nowhere in this universe is his home until the Doctor is dead.

The Master was very glad that his plan worked, but he didn't doubt it one bit. Time to kill the man who despises of him, the man who killed him in this universe, the one who burnt his home. The Master was actually quite shocked at how much he hated the Doctor when he had never met him before. Where had all of these thoughts of killing come from? But what does it matter anyway; his universe is dead, might as well save this one from the horrid Doctor.

"Where would he be?" the Master asked John while looking around at the Leadworth streets. Why would they land here? What did this city have to do with the Doctor?

John was equally confused. He thought they'd end up in Chiswick, but then the thought came to him. When John first arrived with Rose on the parallel Earth he did really think about what was going to happen to Donna, because he was too focused on the fact that the Doctor was leaving him in Pete's World and marring him off to Rose. Donna's head must have either exploded or the Doctor erased her memories. John guessed the second one. But then why didn't the Doctor erase the Time Lord part of her and let her keep the memories instead of making her a half Time Lord with amnesia. Stupid Doctor.

He must have dropped Donna off back home and then sauntered down to Leadworth and picked up another Earth girl. He is a 904 year old and he can't get enough of picking up girls who are basically just out of the crib. Sicko.

But then again he could have aged a bit since their last meeting. John automatically tried to use his Time Lord senses before he realised he didn't have any.

"Can you sense him?" he asked.

The Master looked over at him and smiled evilly. They walked down the road until they arrived at a blue box.

4. Our Constant Companion is Death

Amy and Rory were still a little shocked from the Dream Lord. The Doctor was well over it and didn't want to think back to it, but he couldn't help himself. He started to imagine how much evil he could make if someone brought his dark side out. If he had never met Rose after the Time War he would probably still be a depressed lonely Time Lord who spent his life hiding in his TARDIS and only came out to cause havoc.

Amy and Rory were walking around the TARDIS chatting about how much they mean to each other. Death makes your realise what really matters. What matters to the Doctor? Well obviously Amy, Rory and all the other companions he has had, and his family and his friends.

He always referred to the people he picked up as companions instead of friends. When he thought of his friends he knew they were Koschei (the Master), Ushas (the Rani), Drax and his other friends in his group called the Deca at the academy. He didn't really like to think about his friends much anymore. He missed them too much.

"So it's my choice, eh?" Amy asked awakening the Doctor from his daydreaming.

"Yep, anywhere and anywhen," he replied trying to sound like his normal cheery self.

Suddenly the Doctor gasped in what looked like pain and fall to the floor. Amy and Rory tried to heave him back to a standing up position. "What's wrong?" Rory asked a little confused. There was nothing even remotely dangerous around them, but then again what did he know? There was nothing that dangerous in here before and he died, well sort of.

"Are you hurt?" Amy asked stressfully.

The Doctor was just staring into the distance with a distort look on his face. "It's impossible…" he muttered.

"What's impossible?"

"How can they be back? Who is back?"

The TARDIS doors were suddenly blown off their hinges. Two men stood there with victorious looks on their faces. One of them was holding a huge gun in his hands.

"No…" the Doctor whispered. He stood up and walked a few slow steps towards them. "How can you two be here? Your dead!" he said gesturing to the Master. "And your in another universe," he said to the other. "And how did you get a Time Lord Battle Gun?"

"From the planet you destroyed, only in another universe!" the Master spat at him. "Prepare to die! Wow, now that was a little cliché," he laughed. "Anyway, still puts forward the point I want!" he pointed the gun at the Doctor.

Time Lord Battle Guns were so powerful they could blow TARDISs apart. Amy looked close to tears. She had no idea who these nutters were and why they want to kill the Doctor but she still knew the outcome. Rory ran over to her and gave her a hug to try to stop her from jumping in front of the Doctor and taking the bullet herself.

The Doctor didn't take his eyes of the two, well really one-and-one-half Time Lords. Meanwhile John and the Master were having a conversation of their own.

"That's the Doctor?" the Master asked a little confused. Sure, he knew that he could have regenerated since he last saw John, but he still looked a little too harmless.

John knew what the Master was playing at and tried to still convince him to kill the Doctor. "Of course. He's trying to look innocent, but his not… he still burnt our home!"

"Yeah, well look what happened to my world, when he didn't exist."

The Doctor could hear their conversation with his super Time Lord hearing although it was whispered. He realised that the Master was from the other universe and John was just playing him. The Doctor knew that there was a very high chance that he could die right now, but he couldn't help but be happy to see the Master again and he was sad because Rose couldn't help John.

"Master, don't do this. Look at John's memories, what good would it really do killing me, when you and I… I've already told the you from this world, but we could be so amazing together, please Koschei!"

The Master stood there thinking for a while. He was torn between two very promising paths. Kill the Doctor and rule over this universe with John or kill John and travel this universe with the Doctor. Or maybe not kill anyone.

"I don't want to hurt you Theta," he said quietly. "After all I've seen in John's mind. All the memories you and the other me have shared… I can't do it."

The battle gun fell to the floor and a laser beam shot out and hit the closest person.

The END

**Author's Note: Wow what an abrupt ending.  
><strong>**In 'Remembrance Of The Daleks' the Doctor stopped Davros and the Daleks from taking The Hand Of Omega, but due to the Doctor being dead in Pete's World he never stopped them.  
>Thanks for reading. <strong>


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